


Cassius to Cassius

by Quintus



Category: Dust: An Elysian Tail
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-29
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2018-01-04 17:04:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quintus/pseuds/Quintus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dust intervenes in a battle between Moonbloods and Warmbloods over a village.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cassius to Cassius

I don't know how Dust managed to be awake and alert every morning while I was still rubbing my eyes. Every day he broke camp at the crack of dawn, and when he walked, he kept his eyes straight forward. But those mornings in the sparsely-inhabited wilderness, sometimes surrounded by miles of dewy fields, were some of the only peaceful moments we had with all the fighting going on, so sometimes we talked, even while I was trying to shoo my drowsiness away.

“You'll be fighting General Gaius soon,” I said.

“I know,” said Dust. “I'm trying not to think about it.”

“You can beat him, right?”

“I know I can. I have to.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Hey, Dust … Why do you think General Gaius is doing what he's doing? Trying to wipe out the Moonbloods, I mean.”

“I'm not sure,” said Dust. “I have some memories of the times Gaius and Cassius were together, but only bits and pieces. They wanted to shape the world in their image. Already they've killed countless peoples and cultures who weren't like them, then spread their civilization into the conquered lands.”

“Yeah, but … why? I mean … It doesn't make any sense …”

“Some people are Takers,” said Dust. “They take everything this world has to offer, because they believe it was made for them.”

I didn't say any more. As we crested a hill, Dust suddenly stuck his arm out in front of me.

“Get down,” he said.

I lay belly-down in the grass while Dust crouched and watched over the hill. I couldn't see, so I hovered a bit and tried to get a peek, but Dust waved at me again.

“Fidget!” he hissed. “I said stay down!”

I lay down again and covered myself with my wings. “What do you see?” I whispered

“A battle,” said Dust. “Warmbloods and Moonbloods. It looks like the Warmbloods are attacking a village.”

“That sounds bad. Are we going to—”

Before I could finish, he leapt over the hill and ran. He was like a gust of wind. I saw the Moonbloods and Warmbloods fighting over wooden huts, and as the Moonbloods noticed Dust racing towards toward them, they cheered:

“Mithrarin! Mithrarin!”

He collided with the enemy, unleashing a flurry of sword strokes and kicks I'd come to know him for, cutting limbs and necks, grabbing enemy soldiers and throwing them, launching them into the air and slamming them back down on top of their friends. When he used the Dust Storm, I launched my magic attack as if by instinct. The attack pummeled the enemy until they were left bruised and beaten among the bodies of their friends. When things cleared up, and the survivors collected themselves, they threw their weapons to the ground.

Dust approached one of the enemy soldiers, who was lucky to only be nursing a hurt leg. His helmet had been knocked off in the battle, and I saw that he was just a young boy. Dust put his blade to the boy's neck, and the boy stiffened in fear.

“We—We're just village guards!” he said. “I've never hurt a Moonblood in my life, I swear! I'd never even _seen_ one before today!”

The Moonbloods were dressed in a motley assortment of scavenged battle gear, and one of them, face made up with war paint, seemed to be the leader. They cheered, and War Paint bowed respectfully to Dust and said, “I never imagined the Mithrarin would join us today. You saved us a lot of trouble here. But we're not done; we still have to search the village.” He gave his followers a signal. A few of them joined him to go further in, while the rest held back to guard the defeated enemies.

My gaze followed them, and I saw Warmblood women and children peeking out of the windows and doorways of the huts. Some were running out to tend to the wounded soldiers. Some were crying over the dead ones.

“Dust,” I said, “I don't think this was a Warmblood attack.”

A woman and a little girl ran to the boy Dust had been talking to. They both hugged him, and the woman started to examine the boy's leg.

“Who are you?” Dust said.

The woman gave us a sharp look and cried, “Leave us alone! My son never did anything to you! Oh, this is why they always say Moonbloods are savages …”

From within the village, War Paint shouted, “Mithrarin! We found it!” They were searching a hut. Dust went over and joined them inside.

“What did you find?” he said.

The hut was a storeroom, full of crates. The Moonbloods had already cracked a few of them open and spilled their contents.

“Wheat grain, corn, fruit … They're provisions for General Gaius' army,” said War Paint.

Dust looked carefully at the food spilling out onto the floor.

“How do you know it's for Gaius, and not just for the people of this village?”

“Did you see any farms nearby? This food wasn't grown here, it was shipped from the Warmblood nation. They store supplies like this in settlements all over Falana, so they can easily get it to Gaius' soldiers. These are the foods they eat—I know, I've raided their camps before. And you saw that those 'village guards' outside are wearing Gaius' army's uniform.”

Dust thought about it a little more, then left the hut. He found the boy again, grabbed him by the collar and threw him back onto the ground. His mother screamed.

“Who's your leader?” he said.

“C—Centurion Niviticus.”

“A Centurion under Gaius?”

“Y—Yes. But we never fought Moonbloods …”

“That's enough,” said Dust. “Where is he?”

“I can't …”

Dust raised his blade, and the boy's mother screamed again.

“In the woods. He's leading a patrol.”

“Looking for Moonbloods?”

“Just trying to keep the village safe …”

“He's not doing a very good job, if this attack got through …” He lowered his blade, left the boy and walked back toward War Paint.

“Keep the village secure. I'm going to find this Centurion Niviticus.”

Then he kept walking.

Once we were clear of the village, I said, “Dust, what are you doing?”

“If we don't bring Niviticus back to the village, he could come back with reinforcements. Besides, if he works for Gaius, then it might be wise to have a little chat.”

“So, you're just gonna talk to him, right?”

Dust said nothing.

When we got to the woods, Dust tracked Niviticus the way a skilled hunter tracks his prey. He picked up the trail, followed signs that were invisible to me, and moved silently. He didn't say a word, and I didn't dare say one either. It felt like an eternity, but finally he caught up with the patrol, and when he did, he stepped into the open and called, “Centurion Niviticus!”

The squad all turned around, weapons ready. “Who are you?” said Niviticus. “State your business.”

“I am Dust. My Moonbloods have already seized your village. We know you're supplying food for General Gaius.”

“What did you say?!” Niviticus shouted.

“I'm going to take you back, whether you wish to go or not.”

“I am going back,” said Niviticus, “but not with you.”

In an instant, the fight began. The soldiers surrounded Dust, but he was ready for them. He made a flurry of attacks in all directions, and one by one, the soldiers fell with slashed throats and chests. When Niviticus was the last one standing, Dust focused his attacks on him, hooked him with his blade, and threw him to the ground.

He tied Niviticus up and brought him back to the village. There, he brought Niviticus to the center square and threw him down. He looked around, and when he saw that he had most of the village's attention, he faced Niviticus, raised his blade over his head … and stuck it in the ground at Niviticus' feet.

“This is a warning. To you, to General Gaius, and to the entire Warmblood nation: You are not welcome here. Leave peacefully now; otherwise, we will fight you, we will defeat you, and we will drive you from our land.”

He picked up his sword, sheathed it, and left. The circle of onlookers parted to make way for him. He went into the storeroom, picked up a bright red apple from the spilled crates, and bit into it as he walked away. He kept going all the way back into the fields.

I stayed quiet hoping he would say something, but he didn't. Eventually I got the courage to speak up.

“Why did you have to do that?” I said.

“Do what?” said Dust.

“Don't be like that. You know what. Why'd you have to attack that village, and why'd you have to scare all those people, and tell them to leave their homes?”

“They didn't belong there. That village was one of General Gaius' settlements. They're one of the ways he spreads his influence in this region.”

“But there were women and children. Those soldiers were just boys, with mothers and sisters. They weren't hurting anyone.”

“They were helping Gaius. Stopping them brought us that much closer to ending his tyrannical campaign.”

“I thought we were trying to make _peace_ …”

“Takers are like an infection. They grow on the flesh of conquered peoples and destroy everything and everyone in their way. The only way to bring true peace is to …”

“Eradicate them?”

Dust said nothing.

“Doesn't it bother you? You say all these horrible things about the Warmbloods, but you _are_ one. Those are _your people_. Doesn't this whole thing _bother you_? Eradicate them … That's what Fuse tried to do. That's what … That's what Cassius would do.”

Dust stopped and grit his teeth hard.

“They are _not_ my people,” he finally said. “What happened today was a victory. It's as simple as that. I don't want to hear any more about it.”

I didn't say any more, but as Dust walked on, eyes straight forward, I hovered for a while and watched him, and I understood. He was as much Cassius now as he was before. And it terrified me.


End file.
